Life Lessons - Chapter 1

     "There is blood beneath the Sun. Who would imagine that something so far from earth would wreak havoc? For many centuries, our kin is cursed to wander in a never-ending pursuit with this blazing sphere. Condemned as we are to live under its warmth, we demolish and abandon what we are building for years with sweat and blood. No civilization has a future when they cannot settle in a place or lay the foundation in order to progress and thrive.
     "Settlements are left to rot, while schools formerly full of spirit and intellect are reduced to stone. Handicrafts that often outshine even the Sun and precious gems of inimitable beauty are lost forever in the violent emigration. Even children and elderly people succumb to the hostile conditions of the movement and stay behind as grim memories.  
     "However, things were not always this way. A long time ago there was a golden era - so long that nobody remembers any name of a king or their heirs. So long ago that time was of minuscule importance and great palaces, hanging gardens and sacred obelisks hulked above the earth. Craftsmen used to burn the sand to make coins, so clear that sunrays pierced through them. People in the cities enjoyed a long period of peace and safety, leaving space for their mind to bloom. Kings focused on state development and just governance, and not only on short-term solutions and plans for emigration. Almost nothing can bring those times back, about which we know only by oral traditions. Any written piece is now buried deep in the hot sand. 
     "There was nothing to be afraid of, as long as the Sun remained fixed above their head. The whole notion of civilization had been defined based on the shining giant - from the crops that rose above-shoulder to the vital energy that fills us for a whole day until we retire to our shelter. It all changed when suddenly our remote god looked for a new realm. Mournful songs and tales eternalize that dark day for centuries. 
     "The first signs before the calamity were visible on the ground, as the shadows started to shift very quickly, making the whole kingdom look at the sky. The very next moments were chaotic. You can imagine screams coming from everywhere and not surprisingly. Try to picture the most constant and granted thing in your life suddenly moving away from your reality.
     "Legend has it that it took only a few minutes for a massive stampede to start, and in its turn, this caused a huge cloud of dust and sand that covered the atmosphere around the capital city of Sharama. The people's first decisions were instinctive - follow the Sun. Some left their homes immediately, while others tried to save some essential items and a few unshaken chose to wait for their king's commandment. 
    "The oldest king to be remembered was Kadash the Third, and now also known as Kadash the Chaser, for he was the first that ordered a migration towards the Sun. You see, Kadash took pride of godly origin, as he was considered to be a descendant of the Sun himself. No sensible king would let his people doubt such a powerful reputation, so he was urged to take action in view of the tragic circumstances. Despite seeing his people fleeing from their homes in a disorderly fashion, he gathered his wits quickly and pretended it was his command. The royal cavalry rushed through the storm of dust to get in front of the fleeing and regroup them. Within a few hours, the majority of the capital was on the move and small caravans from nearby cities joined them.
     "Confusion was the main feeling amongst the people of Sharama, and fear for the next day came a close second. The Sun was said to be too fast for the chasers to reach, and soon the rear was covered by dusk. The lack of sunlight weakened everybody in a matter of hours, and the large caravan seemed to be heading to its doom..." 
     "When did the Pale Ones arrive, Great Anshar?" A voice with fake enthusiasm broke the monologue. 
     "Here, young Prince! Let the new generation learn with patience. You were all ears at their age." Anshar reprimanded the young man in a serious yet tender tone. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes! One of the king's orders to the caravan was to never look behind them. Kadash was well aware that death is a discouraging sight that will do no good to their morale. We are told that almost half of the less healthy men and women were left behind, by the third day of the disaster. The moving kingdom was traveling along the side of Sharama desert, although they soon started to push through unknown depths. 
     "You see, the lands of Sharama were always rich in rye fields and carob trees that grew in numbers near the river banks. Once the cities were unified under one king a long time ago, there was no need for crossing the infertile desert. Trading and foraging was always conducted among people of the same blood and not foreigners. Where shadow had fallen, people could easily see that even oases started to wither, so they kept going towards the Sun. 
     "By that time, the only way to distinguish a day from another was the sunflowers. Their bright yellow petals start to blossom at the beginning of the day and get in full bloom by the middle of it, and as you may know already when the petals hug the flower it is rest time. These flowers thrive where civilization is, but since the desert is barren there was no way to tell how many days they had been traveling." 
     "Great Anshar, what is this tale all about? I feel like this does not end well for them." A curious child intervened. Anshar was a scholar for young children among many other things. He was a prestigious man, to say the least. He, along with the kids, formed a circle and shared stories that helped them to learn about their world. This one was the most serious one yet and was actually their very own history. 
     Anshar's expression changed to a milder one, as he understood very well what was on the table for the children. "Today, I am not sharing a tale with you. Today, I am preparing you for the next difficult days of the Sunchase. You are too young to have experienced it before, as it only occurs every fifteen years - fifteen harvest seasons in a row that is. Our accountants say that we have no more than twenty days before we move. Prince Shalan himself was an infant when we came back here, to our lands." With this phrase, he gestured him to sit down in the circle. 
      Prince Shalan was a promising-looking heir for the throne. He stood pretty high above the ground and his physique gave away his many hours on the training grounds. Along with his body, he spared some time to train his mind, too. He knew that as a future king he had to know more than just how to handle a spear. This was why he spent hours next to Great Anshar, for he admired his wisdom and foresight.
     "Great Anshar, may I?" Shalan asked respectfully. His mentor gave permission with a smile. The prince took a stick in his dark hand and drew a circle on the dirt. "This is our world Eos as far as we know" he explained. "And this is Sharama desert on the fringes of which is what you know as home." He continued his drawing meticulously. "Now, this side is where the sun is heading to in a few days. These lands were not always welcoming for our kin and it took many generations and hard work in order to make them cultivatable."
     The sage spaced out for a while, letting the prince talk to the younger children. The voices coming from the circle were distant now and his hearing was focused on the outside. Men could be heard bargaining for better prices in the street market. No one would want to waste his precious hoard on a last-minute purchase. Deeper in the city, he could hear wooden weels struggling to roll under a heavy load. "Packing and loading are underway," he thought. Everybody was in motion but numb at the same time. Time slows down indeed when you try to avoid faith. Nobody really wanted to rush for the Sunchase, even the more seasoned ones.
     His mind started to fill with blurry images of his past, some of the last images he had the chance to collect. The chaos underneath the dust cloud, the infants that cried for days, the royal army marching forward were all unfading experiences for the eye. Even on his second time, right before he accepted the Suntouch. You see, being fair and insightful was not a human trait. His position of a judge required the sacrifice of his sight by forcing his eyes towards the Sun, embracing an eternal warmth. 
     Readjusting his focus on the learning circle, he caught that Shalan had already reached his favorite subject. 
     "And then the Pale Ones arrived from nowhere. Where the desert ended abruptly and the unknown green land enveloped the whole caravan." Shalan's voice was now serious. "What we need for our life and worship as a god, for others is an eon of disaster. Those infidels were first seen running away from the Sun. Their ashy skin was too weak and undeserving of our god's blessing." A sense of distaste was pretty obvious in his tone while describing their sworn enemies. 
     "The first contact was, of course, the most chaotic. Every healthy man grabbed what might use as a weapon and acted on self-defense. As we are taught, that was the first bloodbath of many to come." Shalan turned to his mentor as a way to credit his contribution to his own knowledge. "The people that managed to survive from both sides ran to opposite directions. Kadash' kingdom settled under the Sun after the giant picked a new home some days away from the battle site. Kadash himself was not to see his people settling as he fell valiantly in battle. From then and onwards, kings had the obligation to their people to protect them from such attacks by forming a formal army, in which I am currently serving" Shalan said proudly. 
     The atmosphere was dense around the circle and the children were left in awe. One part of Anshar's heart was smiling, watching his student grow up, but another one was still unsure if his temperament would allow the young heir of the throne to rule effectively. 
     "The time will always tell, although I do not have much of my own." He thought to himself out loud, laughing in the process. 
     "What was that, Great Anshar?" Prince Shalan asked.
     "The lecture is almost over for today young men. Now let me prepare you for the next days with some essential advice to remember. On no occasion are your favorite toys needed for the migration..."
 And so the sage continued sharing basic but useful suggestions that would accompany them for life. His job was done there, but others had to deliver as well.